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Abstract
| Myer Katz (April 28/29, 1910 - February 1, 1993) was born in Winona, Minnesota, to William Udell and Anna Sarah Katz. He speaks of having chosen his parents wisely. Both his parents spoke up to seven languages and imparted many lessons. He remembers his father sitting down with all the children on the Sabbath and having them take turns reading from "The Ethics of the Fathers" in Hebrew as well as translating and explaining what they read. His father would correct pronunciation as they went along and follow with discussion on the discourse read that day. While his father was generally responsible for educating the children, Katz learned lessons from his mother as well. She raised her children on the theory, "If you want others to respect your religion, you must always respect theirs," a lesson he took to heart and is evident as he speaks of the religious communities in La Crosse. Myer Katz attended Central High School in La Crosse and went on to higher education receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1936 and an Associate in Medicine from George Washington University in 1938. He attended a number of other institutions for graduate studies including the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He traveled and spoke English, Hebrew, Yiddish, French and German. He was President of La Crosse County Historical Society and received an Award of Merit from Wisconsin Council for Local History in 1974 for one of his historical books. He also published "Echoes of Our Past," a series of narratives about La Crosse history, as well as three historical fiction novels. In his interview, Katz not only relates family history, but La Crosse history as well, particularly that of its Jewish community. He elaborates on religion, the differences in practice among the different sects of Judaism, where certain Jewish names come from, and the difficulty of finding a kosher meal in the restaurants in town. In this tape Mr. Katz discusses the following topics: Incidence of prejudice, teaching position— Teaching career, Onalaska— Myrtle Trowbridge, dedicated teacher— David Coate, professor; Orris White, professor— William Laux, professor— Alvida Ahlstrom, professor— Martha Skarr, librarian— Clayton Whitney, professor— Physical education, La Crosse— Sanford, professor, American history, government— Music composition course— Sanders, Psychology professor— Coat, Shakespeare course— White, poetry course— Teaching styles, discussion versus lecture— Former schoolmates, students— Jewish community in La Crosse— Rabbi Don Schwarcz; records, La Crosse historical society, 1950s— Welfare, through Synagogue— Voluntary Jewish Community Welfare— Women, Jewish, raising money for the Synagogue— Synagogue; social setting— Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication. |
| Content | 00:00:42— Incidence of prejudice, teaching position |
00:08:23— Teaching career, Onalaska |
00:11:21— Myrtle Trowbridge, dedicated teacher |
00:12:35— David Coate, professor; Orris White, professor |
00:14:09— William Laux, professor |
00:16:12— Alvida Ahlstrom, professor |
00:19:22— Martha Skarr, librarian |
00:20:53— Clayton Whitney, professor |
00:23:55— Physical education, La Crosse |
00:24:12— Sanford, professor, American history, government |
00:26:29— Music composition course |
00:30:06— Sanders, Psychology professor |
00:30:37— Coat, Shakespeare course |
00:32:28— White, poetry course |
00:37:01— Teaching styles, discussion versus lecture |
00:39:08— Former schoolmates, students |
00:40:18— Jewish community in La Crosse |
00:41:31— Rabbi Don Schwarcz; records, La Crosse historical society, 1950s |
00:45:15— Welfare, through Synagogue |
00:51:26— Voluntary Jewish Community Welfare |
00:54:25— Women, Jewish, raising money for the Synagogue |
00:55:24— Synagogue; social setting |
00:58:57— Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication |
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Use and reproduction restrictions
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